Totó Releases Oye Manita, the third in

her

retrospective series of albums

Totó la Momposina arrived in Paris in 1979 as a refugee with no French, no money and no abode. A theatre company took her under it’s wing and it wasn’t long before she was travelling through Provence with this group of mime artists, street performers and musicians, along with their hot-air balloon, double-decker bus, merry-go-round and mobile cinema. Totó’s formidable voice, charisma and songs were an instant success and France became a launch-pad for her career.Reed More

Toto La Momposina & AMJ Collective

5th of July 2018 @ 7:00pm

TOTÓ LA MOMPOSINA LA VERDOLAGA LP

22 June 2018

Seventy eight years old this year, Totó is now a legendary figure known and loved throughout the
world by the millions of hearts she has touched with her soulful voice, inspiring charisma and gentle, fun-loving nature. More than that, she is also the mother of three children and the grandmother of nine grandchildren – a wise woman who has experienced hardship as well as joy throughout her long career.

Tu Tambor – Single

This video captures the newly released track ‘Tu Tambor’ as it was tracked during the legendary Wood Room sessions at Real World Studios in 1992 for La Candela Viva. A fitting tribute to Batata, legendary drummer, and his unique style. Stream/Download ‘Tu Tambor’

New Live Video and Audio “Julio Moreno”

We’re delighted to make an unreleased track from Totó la Momposina’s 2015 album Tambolero available to stream/download from today: smarturl.it/TotoJulioMoreno. ‘Julio Moreno’ was recorded live at Real World Studios in 1991 as part of the sessions for the La Candela Viva album, produced by the legendary Phil Ramone.

Totó la Momposina Returns to London

Photo: Josh Pulman

Totó la Momposina makes a rare London appearance with a new show inspired by her last album Tambolero. Now in her 70s, Totó has become a legend worldwide for her work with traditional music from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Investigating and preserving the music of her homeland when it was unfashionable to do so, she has inspired several generations whilst constantly developing her own musical traditions.

Totó has collaborated with many artists, from Celina Gonzalez and Remmy Ongala to Calle 13 and Lila Downs. Her music has been sampled and remixed by countless DJs and producers from Timbaland to Michel Cleis – indeed the trance-like grooves of her Tambores and the majesty of her voice continue to be irresistible.

Totó’s story is also that of modern Colombia – from displaced economic migration to the horrors of civil war, from the joy of music and dance to the celebration of peace and a cultural identity. Her new show features members of her family, tambores (drums), flutes and voices and also features projections showing the history of the music and dance in performance.

“She’s got the magic and she knows how to use it, percolating her percussion-centered ensemble into a froth that thickens time into an eternal ecstatic present” The Beat

“Living, breathing power music, born on an island in the Madalena River of African, Caribbean and native South American roots.” CMJ New World Music

“A small human thunderstorm … with galvanising voice.” Froots

“A majestic, powerful and versatile singer.” The Guardian

“Haunting and open-handed.” The Times

“Totó La Momposina is a charismatic Latin musical matriarch whose magnificent voice and traditional percussion-based street music are astonishingly raw and powerful.” Time Out

Tambolero

You don’t normally get the chance to go back in time and recreate an album. Building on a classic project that began 24 years ago is a challenge and a delight.

In 2009, the Swiss producer Michel Cleis released a house tune called La Mezcla, which featured two samples from Toto La Momposina’s album La Candela Viva. The track took off and his label, Cadenza, requested access to the multi-tracks so they could produce extra mixes. It was agreed and John Hollis (producer and now son-in-law of Toto) came to Real World Studios to seek out El Pescador and Curura, which meant locating the original 2 inch tapes from 1991 and 1992.

At the start of the eighties, in the early days of Womad, there were very few music agencies in the UK representing international artists from anywhere other than the USA. So in 1983 and 1984 a somewhat random but quite productive means of research and enquiry for the festival was to visit Paris on a shoestring budget and with just a hunch or two of where some artists might be found.

One starting point was to visit the record shop where we know a favourite artist’s records were being sold and to ask where to go from there…hoping that ‘back home’ would not be the reply!